Quilt-inspired mural of Abe Lincoln installed at the Lied Center as we celebrated Give to Lincoln Day 2024

During Give to Lincoln Day in 2024, the International Quilt Museum, alongside the LUX Center for the Arts, Visit Lincoln and the Lied Center for Performing Arts presented a new piece of art to the public — a quilt-inspired mural of former U.S. President Abraham Lincoln.

The all-new mural was installed on the west side of the Lied Center for Performing Arts located at 310 N. 12th Street in Lincoln, Nebraska. The mural celebrates the work of local and international artists as well as the city’s namesake.

Measuring 20 feet tall by 15 feet wide, this mural is based on a striking representational quilt in the musuem's collection made by New York-based artist Kimberly Soper. The quilt was made in 2016 based on a  a pop-art portrait created by artist Ihsan Ekaputra. Portraits like Ekaputra’s rendition of Lincoln are known as Wedha’s Pop Art Portraits (WPAP) named for Indonesian artist Wedha Abdul Rasyid who is credited for popularizing the style.

The quilt entered the IQM’s collection in 2019 after winning the People’s Choice and First Place Improvisation awards at the Modern Quilt Guild’s annual QuiltCon two years prior.

The mural was created in 2022 by the artist and quilter McKenzie Phelps and was installed by a team from the LUX Center for the Arts (LUX) with assistance from Omaha-based artist Watie White.

"The Lied Center is proud to be showcasing one of the biggest and potentially one of the most iconic new pieces of public art for Lincoln, Nebraska. Celebrating one of our nation’s greatest presidents and our city’s namesake is the Lied Center’s honor,” said Bill Stephan, executive director of the Lied Center. “The new work will bring beauty to the 11th Street entrance to campus and the entry to the Carson Theater at the Lied Center. We are excited to not only have world-class performances at the Lied but also have a world-class mural that was made possible thanks to project partners including the International Quilt Museum, the Lux Center for the Arts, and Visit Lincoln.”

In addition, the picture was highlighted on the front page of Discover Lincoln.